MUDA: Japanese for Waste or Uselessness

In many ways, the sterile processing department is very similar to a manufacturing facility, like Case Medical. We produce products, follow standard operating procedures, without necessarily taking a hard look at how we can minimize steps and reduce waste.

I don’t speak Japanese but there are a few words like Muda, a Japanese term that means waste or uselessness, that truly make sense to me. Muda can mean overproduction leading to excess inventory and wasted resources. It can also mean a waste of time. For example, the term Muda in the context of lean manufacturing refers to all activities and processes that do not add value. This means that if an activity is considered Muda, it should be eliminated or minimized because it adds costs without the benefits. Identifying Muda is the foundation of lean manufacturing. Last week, we discussed Kaizen, continuous improvement, and this week our goal is to examine how waste and wasteful behaviors can interfere with best practices, create inefficiencies and increase costs.

Muda comprises several activities that we can all identify. And it’s no different for us, a manufacturer of reprocessing solutions and reusable containers, than for you, our customers, who serve patients and the operating room by producing properly processed medical devices and surgical trays. Reducing waste may be more critical than ever for all of us serving the healthcare community at the present time with new tariffs, substantial cuts in services, and closing of federal agencies responsible for health and human services. In fact, we can all eliminate many types of waste and wasteful actions by planning better and being prepared for the next supply chain crisis.

Recently we took a hard look at our inventory and materials management and we are collaborating with Rutgers University Management School to do so. In some cases, we have too many unnecessary things in inventory that are wasteful, and then again, too little of certain other critical items that we may need to stock in advance of shortfalls. As we did our evaluation, we found that we were following the commonly known steps needed to reduce Muda, by identifying several wasteful procedures. I believe that you can relate to these as well in your “manufacturing department.”

Let us know which of the following wasteful actions can be improved upon in your department:

-Overproduction: making more products than is currently needed
-Waiting: when machines or employees are idle, waiting for the next step or assignment
-Transportation: unnecessary movement of materials or products to and from different points
-Overprocessing: performing more steps than necessary
-Excess inventory: acquiring more materials and products that are not directly needed
-Motion: wasted movements to reach supplies, tools, or materials
-Defects: products or practices resulting in rework, replacement, or disposal

I just came back from Europe and learned that repair and replacement of containers is mandatory after a few years of use. While this may make sense for some products that are poor quality or worse designed for planned obsolescence, processes like using too many chemical agents create a degraded product, a perfect example of Muda in practice. By identifying and eliminating waste and wasteful actions, companies and facilities can significantly improve their efficiency, reduce costs, and increase customer value. That’s how we developed our holistic approach to instrument processing by developing reusable products to avoid waste and sustainable cleaners to contribute to the useful life of our reusable products.

Congratulations to our engineer, Shirel, for obtaining her Black Belt in Lean Manufacturing and to our team at Case Medical for identifying Muda and applying Kaizen for continuous improvement.

Let us know if you would like more information about our products and services or need our help to bring Kaizen into your department.